Long day yesterday, but mostly fun!

Saturday was going to be a long day, I knew that going in to it.

I had to work in the morning, first Saturday I've worked since the end of May. My BF Gina's main squeeze, Mike was celebrating his birthday, so I knew that after I got out of work at noon, I'd be meeting them for drinks and WHATEVER.

Originally, the plan was to meet at the Speakeasy (a BAR!!) for a couple of drinks, then we were going to go tubing down the Ottertail River. Well, the weather had other ideas. It was chilly, and windy when I went to work, at 8 am. I kept watching out the window, hoping it would clear off and the wind would settle. Well, it DID, but it didn't get too much warmer. It was only about 70, and if you're tubing down the river, you want a good 80 degree day, minimum.

Also originally, I planned on getting out of work at 12:10, running home to change, then going to the bar. Well, it was a bitch of a day at the bank, and I didn't leave until 12:30, and I went STRAIGHT to the bar. I called home once I had a bloody mary in front of me, to let the kids know that we'd be stopping there after a couple of drinks so I could change. While telling Emma this on the phone, she said "Dad's home, do you just want to talk to him?"

YES!!

He got home from Camp Ripley and was relaxing. I asked him to come down to the Speakeasy, and he said he'd shower and clean up, and just wait for us to come there and get him. Well, two hours and four bloody mary's later, we (Gina, Mike, Jason and Sabrina) showed up. I changed, and we all piled into my Kia, thanks, Jason for being the sober driver!

Since it was too cold to tube, we decided on mini golf.

There were six of us, and JP used to play golf in high school. The rest of us were admittedly, pretty sucky. At the end of 18 holes, JP handed me the scorecard... a three-way tie for 1st place: Gina, Sabrina, and ME!! Yeah, the girls kicked butt! Never mind that the par for the course was 42, and we were tied at 60... we beat the guys, they ranked in at: JP-64, Mike-65 and Jason-69.

We then went to a place right by the mini golf place for burgers and drinks (another bloody mary!) We got done, and asked the birthday boy 'where to next?' He suggested that we continue with our childish behavior, and go to a place down the road called "Go, Putt & Bump" After a few drinks, Gina and I were calling it everything from 'go bump n butt' to 'go pump a butt'... and LAUGHING... no kidding, my face HURT from all the laughing!

Turns out that Go Putt & Bump has all sorts of activities. Batting cages, bumper boats (wanted to try them, but they were more for little kids...dammit) and GO-KARTS!!

The guys went driving first, and I took pictures. Then the three girls went and I gave JP my camera to take pics, turns out that he SUCKS at taking action shots. They were all a blur... which is fitting, since every red blur that was me, was because I was JUST FLYING around that course. It was a lot of fun, I even slid around a corner (and didn't let up on the gas...) and slammed into the rail... big squealing scraping sound til I corrected. JP and Mike also got into the batting cages, but I think this is enough pictures for one post!

JP and I got home right around 8 pm, my sinuses were killing me, and were in bed by 10... so no big drunk fest, and no hangover today, so that was nice!

Meme from Tenn

I borrowed (ok, STOLE) this meme from Flat, she had some great answers, thought I'd give it a shot.

1. What is something you've dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven't you done it yet? Ever since I was a kid, roughly 8th or 9th grade, I have wanted to be a writer. I even used that as the subject for my research paper on the career I wanted in the 10th grade. I haven't done it yet because I have a serious fear of rejection. I wrote it (the book) already. And I know what will happen. Yeah, eventually, someone MAY like it, but all the rejections leading up to that would just crush me. So I just keep it to myself.

2. If I could make one fictional character come to life, who would it be and why?
That is a really tough one. I have so many characters that I love. All from books, no movies or shows though. Atticus Finch... just to know that such a good and honorable man exists would make me happy. Not to say that I don't know any men who are good and honorable, hell, I married one of them, but there's just something about Atticus. *sigh*

3. If you were given $10,000 for a shopping spree, only one store, where would you spend it?
Easy. IKEA... everything from beds and bedding to couches and throw pillows, silverware and serving bowls to curtains and storage containers... oh, just gives me chills thinking about it!

4. Name 3 things you wanted as a child but never got: 1. a barbed wire tattoo around my upper arm (THANK GOD!) 2. a little sister (ALSO, THANK GOD!) 3. a canopy bed (but I've had one since, so it's all good!)

Disoriented

I HATE when this happens!

When I got home from work Wednesday, I was beat, exhausted, starting to feel like I was getting sick. I laid down at 6 pm for a little nap.

I woke up to the sound of a knocking at my bedroom door. I looked at the clock,
8:10!! It was light outside, and I realized SHIT, I HAVE TO BE TO WORK IN 5 MINUTES!!

I jumped up and tried to figure out why my alarm clock didn't go off at 5:30am, like usual, and grabbed my phone to call my boss to explain that I'd be there ASAP. As I am frantically trying to do all this, Emma opens my door (she was the one who knocked) and asks me what the problem is. I screamed at her that I was late for work (DUH!)

About that time, my mom comes walking down the hall, and peers into my room "What's up?"
(wtf is wrong with these people, can't they see that my alarm didn't go off this morning, and I am late for work!!?)
I tell her that, and she says "Nik, what day is it?"
(DUH! What?)
"Thursday morning," I say, just exasperated, as I start calling my boss's desk at work.

"Um, Nik, it's Wednesday night"

oh. ok. nevermind then.

Good Afternoon, Sir

Tuesday at Camp Ripley was good, really really good.
I didn't realize how much I missed JP til I saw him. After all, it had only been a week and a half. So the family day stuff was OK, but what I loved was walking around with JP and having this little grunts walk past and say "Good afternoon, Sir" and "Hello, Sergeant" and sounding all ass kissing to MY hubby.

PLUS, I got to play with a .50 cal machine gun! It was mounted on a Humvee, and I got to climb in and a grunt taught me how to load it, and how to rotate the full 360 and it was SO COOL. No, I didn't load it with actual ammo, he just showed me how to, IF I had the ammo.

We hung out there for the day and then drove home. We got home and I got to relax for about an hour before I went out to the bowling alley. It was a good night, my average at the end of last season was something like 128. I bowled two games, got a 126 and a 134. It was a fun night, and bowling starts for real the Monday night after Labor Day.

That's all for this post of catch-up...

Multiplicity, please

Remember that movie with Michael Keaton? He had so many things going on, so many commitments, that he (I forget HOW) got these clones of himself to get everything done.

Just for tomorrow, I would love that.
There are 4 things going on tomorrow that I SHOULD go to.
1. Family day at Camp Ripley, visiting JP during his 2 weeks of camp. Starts at 9:45 am, 2 hours away. Lasts into the afternoon.
2. My bank's employee picnic, held at the lake house of the branch manager. Starts at 5:30 pm.
3. My husband's employer's family picnic held at the Pavilion in town. Starts at 5:30 pm.
4. Fun-night, the start-up of the bowling season. It's free food, free booze, free bowling and lots of drawings for cash and prizes. Starts at 6:30 pm, lasts until 9 or 10 pm.

Now, I already don't have to go to work tomorrow, I had requested today and yesterday off over a month ago. I THOUGHT at the time, that I would have a nice long relaxing weekend, with not much going on, just vegging and relaxing.

Today was spent running and running. Got up this morning, had an Ortho checkup appointment. Came home and Alex and I ran to the dump with a load and so now the garage is clean, and can fit a vehicle again! Showers all around, and then it was off for Eric's haircut. Then all three kids and I grabbed my mom and went to Fargo and did all the school clothes shopping. Not the supplies, and only got shoes for one of the three. But $710 later, everyone is clothed from their socks and undies to nice fall/spring hoodies to keep them warm, and everything in between.

The rest will wait until JP gets home. Two of the kids need shoes, and those same two also need eye doctor appointments and new glasses. That will be next week, too.

As for tomorrow, I had to make some tough choices.
Do I make the (expensive) drive down to take the kids to see JP, when he'll be home on Saturday? Yes, I do anything for him.
Do I bust ass to get back home to suck up to my boss' bosses? No. An explanation that we spent the day with JP will suffice.
Do I go spend the evening with my husband's coworkers and their spouses, when he's not even there? Hell no, no explanation needed.
Do I reward myself for the extensive driving with a night of drinks, laughs and bowling? Hell Yes!

Now it's time for vegging before I fall asleep. Because it's Tuesday, and I go to the gym Tuesday through Friday...even if I have the day off work!

Meat forks and MANGOES

Last night got pretty interesting. I think I found out that I may be allergic to mangoes. Mom and I got a veggie tray and a fruit tray for supper last night. I tried mangoes. I have never had them before. They're really good.

But mangoes do not like me.
I started getting... itchy. My palms and my neck and then up my arms and my torso...the roof of my mouth and my tongue... it was just like when I found out I was allergic to penicillin, only not as bad... I didn't have too many pieces of mango.

I took some Benedryl, and after about half an hour, when that didn't seem to be helping, we went to the ER. I wanted a shot of benedryl, or adrenalin, whatever it was they gave me when I had the penicillin reaction.

They were pretty backed up in the ER, and after about an hour, I was feeling a bit better, the benedryl I had taken at home was kicking in (and kicking my butt, I was almost sleeping in the waiting room!) so I let them know that I was going home, and if it got worse, whatever, that I would come back in.

This morning I got Alex up and let mom sleep in. I dragged him to several rummage sales. I got myself some nice work clothes, including a DRESS, which I have never worn to work... damn prissy women are starting to rub off on me! The dress still had the tags on it, the woman had never worn it, and it was marked $98 from the store. I paid $6... nice bargain!

I also got a Newton's Cradle, always wanted on of them, very cool. And a bowl & pitcher set for my dry sink. Got Emma a pair of jeans and a couple of cute tops. I got a silver serving platter. Not that I use them, I have a few, I just like silver platters, I display them on the big shelves in the living room.

And I got two meat forks. These have become the Holy Grail of my existence lately. I needed a meat fork. I have looked in every store, all over this town and Fargo and never found one, I remember as a kid, we had one. You stab the big hunk of meat, roast, whatever with the fork, and hold it while you cut it with the big knife.

I got two meat forks today, and I paid $1.50 FOR BOTH!
All in all, it's been a good day so far, and it's only noon.

Make up work out

I am on alert with my gym. For the month of August, which, as of tomorrow is officially half over, I have slacked a bit.

Generally, I go Tuesday through Friday. I take Mondays off because, honestly, aren't Mondays shitty enough without adding in getting up earlier AND sweating like a pig? With WE Fest last weekend, I only went Tuesday and Wednesday last week. I have some serious make up time to do.

See, my insurance company reimburses me $20 per month of my membership fees IF I go a certain number of times per month. Something like 8 or 12 times per month... I'm not really sure, but it's in the fine print book the insurance company sends out that everyone reads from cover to cover. Yeah, sarcasm.

So my usual gym membership is $32 per month. If I go enough (which I should anyway, fat arse) then it only costs me $12!! I am more motivated by money than fat, although that has been nice lately, too.

So I'm doing the usual Tuesday through Friday this week and I am also going in on Saturday morning. I figure it will be interesting. I'm so used to and OVER the people I see on my regular days. Maybe the scenery will be better on a Saturday morning.

When I get back from the gym, around 7 am on Saturday, I am taking mom (and Alex, for surveillance purposes) out rummaging. We went through the paper tonight to mark the ones we want to get to early, cool thing is, 2 of them are very close to our house.

Busy weekend full of not much going on, JP is still gone, he won't be home until a week from Saturday. I talked to him tonight, and he said that by the time he gets home, there's a good chance that his snoring problem will be cured: he's been losing weight being out in the field, and all the PT he's been doing. Well, I guess Guard camp does have it's perks!

Who stepped on the duck?

I got an email fwd today at work, and it was amusing and perfectly clean (of course it was, prissy ladies)

Three women die and go to heaven, where they are told by St Peter that there is only one strict rule: Do not step on the ducks.

Of course, they notice that there are ducks everywhere, it's going to be hard not to step on a duck. Within the first few hours, one of the women steps on a duck. St Peter is there in seconds, dragging a horribly ugly man with him. He tells the woman that her punishment for stepping on the duck is to be chained to this ugly man for all of eternity.

The other two women, upon hearing this, vow to be very careful. A week passes, and eventually, one of the two remaining women steps on a duck as well. St Peter makes his appearance, again, dragging a hideously ugly man. He chains the woman to him, repeats his whole "eternity" speech, and off he goes.

The last woman is on alert, very careful of the ducks. About a month later, St Peter shows up out of nowhere, leading a gorgeous hunk of a man. He chains the hunk to the woman and walks away.
The woman is happily stunned, "Wow, what did I do to deserve this?" She wonders aloud.
The hunk says "I don't know about you, but I stepped on a duck"

It was a slow day at the bank. Plenty of time to think. I got to thinking about many of the couples I know. Not all, of course, but MANY of them are like the chained couples in heaven. One of them definitely stepped on the duck, and one of them had a beautiful person dragged over to them.

Ever see a good looking (insert one sex or the other here) and then get a load of their spouse? Ever wonder "How the hell did s/he end up with THAT??"

too tired

bad Alex, no London, details later, I'm too tired

WE Fest Friday night

Well, I don't have much to report about the acts that played last night, although I can tell you who we MISSED. Kenny Chesney, yes, Mr Yummy Pants himself.

We got to be out there for about 2 hours before Mom got a phone call, trouble at the bar, so she and I left. I went along to help out, and I actually got to do some bar tending. It was a bit nerve wracking, but we got through it.


Plus we got pretty good tips for the short 4 hours we were there, AND when taking some garbage out the back door and seeing a downpour of rain that rivals a cow pissing on a flat rock, well, I felt better about missing Kenny. Besides, I have seen him twice before.


But, lest you think we had NO FUN at WE Fest before we got called away, I submit these photos... it may have only been two hours, and we may not have even gotten to sit down in our seats, but MY MOM did the coolest thing EVER.

Here she is... getting cinched up and ready...

OK Boys, let 'er buck!

She rode that bull LONGER than guys half her age, and she looked better doing it than silly drunk fat girls in bikinis. I was so impressed and proud of her. This has been the highlight of my WE Fest for the year.

OH, and btw, her shirt? It says "You say BITCH like it's a bad thing" She got alot of attention for that, too.

The first night

Last night was the only night that JP was able to go to WE Fest, he left at 7:30 this morning for Guard Camp for 2 weeks. We had a good time last night, not TOO much drinking, since everyone (except me!) had to get up early for something this morning (everyone else was not able to get Friday off work, like me!)

Tonight I am taking Mom out for her first WE Fest experience... gawd, I hope she has fun.
I may post again on Saturday with pics from tonight, but no promises!

Pictures to burn

That's a title of a Taylor Swift song... who was one of the performers we saw last night.

She put on a great show, very high energy, and wow, such a beautiful girl... think I may have a little girl-crush on her... she's fabulous!

C'mon Nik, tell us how you REALLY feel!

I am so sick of hearing about this dumbass and his soap opera. What a completely UNclassy way to "end" his career. A career that, as much as I hate to admit it, because I am a Packer-Hater, was pretty stellar... until recently. He has only succeeded in soiling his legacy.
Plus, he's a dumbass.

Getting ready

Tomorrow is my "Friday" at work, since I have Thursday and Friday off. I don't really NEED Thursday off, yeah, I'm going out to WE Fest but that's not until Thursday evening.

I WANT Thursday off... I am still going to have to get up and go to the gym Thursday morning, and I will be escorting Alex on his dog walks, too. Then I have to color my hair... roots may be the perfect redneck accessory, but no thanks, I'll pass.

I have to do some shopping Thursday, too. Mom and I are providing dinner Friday night out at Gina's parents' place, and I have to get groceries for that... and I have to get my booze, too.

Oh, yeah, and air mattresses for the tent. Must have that.

shopping tomorrow

I am doing a little shopping tomorrow, seems as though I need a few little things!

I need a new belt. One that cinches tighter... that will have to do until I can afford to replace all of my work pants.

I need new underwear... yeah, I've lost enough weight (or rather, inches) in the hip region that my drawers are actually getting baggy! teehee

I just have a list of "stuff I need that I never seem to remember when I'm out and about"

spatulas, salt & pepper shakers, a new bathroom scale, crap like that.

We are doing this shopping in Fargo tomorrow after I spend a few hours helping out at the liquor store. I've been doing that quite a few weekends lately. I get a little paycheck occasionally, I'm on the payroll. I'm actually thinking of applying for a position over there, but not exactly at the bar. That would mean working FOR my mom, and I don't know how that would work, or if it would.

But IN the bar, they have a booth selling pull tabs. I would be able to do that Saturdays and Sundays, put in a couple of decent shifts, and make a little extra money.

Since it seems we are unable to decrease the outflow of cash, so the only way to fix the situation here is to increase the inflow.